BARCELONA have crashed OUT of the Champions League at the group stage for the second season in a row before they could even play their fifth group game against Bayern Munich.
The players discovered their fate as they warmed up for their match at the Nou Camp.
And their early exit plunges the skint Spanish club into a further £18million black hole.
Inter Milan beat Viktoria Plzen in the early game 4-0, taking their points tally to ten with one game left.
However, Inter’s head-to-head record against Barca will see them finish above their Catalan rivals even if they claw back the six-point deficit.
That means crisis-club Barca will drop down into the Europa League where they would face a group runner-up in the preliminary knockout round.
It also means back-to-back Champions League group-stage exits for Barca, having only done so once before – way back in 1998-99.
Barca’s debt stands at around £1billion and yet the club managed to spend £150m on transfer fees this summer – by selling off various parts of the club including image rights such as the stadium name to Spotify.
Their budget for this season was based upon reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Barca boss Xavi says the team would be watching Inter’s game with Plzen, hoping the Polish side could hand them a shock lifeline.
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The team screening of Inter’s game would take place before Barca’s game against Bayern at the Camp Nou.
The ex-Spain midfield maestro said: “Weâll all watch the game together in the locker room.
“The goal tomorrow is to play a good game and have good feelings, regardless of what happens in Milan.
“We have to show that we can compete with this type of teams.”
